


allergies

by ThatsSoVery



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: (baby don't hurt me), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gay, I can't write romance, M/M, What is love, also gay, but serIOUSLY HOW DO YOU WRITE ROMANCE, did i mention gay, help me, it's like 2 am why am i, like super duper gay, super gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 04:27:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7344880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatsSoVery/pseuds/ThatsSoVery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James is so glad he's not allergic to flowers.</p><p>(based on that one tumblr prompt. you know the one.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	allergies

**Author's Note:**

> so i have major writer's block and don't know what to do for my other fic. have this coffee-induced garbage ft: badly written romance, gays, a lot of exclamation points, and john being super adorable even if he only talks like 3 times
> 
> this is based on the tumblr prompt where person a goes into a flower shop and asks,how do i passive-aggresivley say 'fuck you' in a flower?" i've seen 4 or 5 of these written for lams and while lams is my life force i thought it would be fun to try it the other way around.

James Madison, unfortunately, was not allergic to flowers. Being a man with many allergies, it was actually strange. So when his friend John Laurens asked him to help at his flower shop for a few weeks, he couldn't use his allergies as an excuse. It was kind of nice, actually. He got to stay in the back and put bouquets together, not having to interact with anyone except for the aforementioned John and his friends that would occasionally visit and help out. It was a relaxing and enjoyable job, until the week John was sick and asked if James could take over the front counter.

"James, I'm really sick. I need to take a week off and since you've already been here I was hoping you could take over the front counter for me?" John asked him. He could tell that his friend was trying to be as convincing as possible, probably expecting James to say no.  
"John, you know I'm not a people person. And my allergies! If some person walks in eating or wearing the wrong thing I could get just as sick as you are!" James complained. John kept trying to convince him. He didn't really know why, but eventually he decided he might as well just do it. _I shouldn't let John worry. I'm not a terrible person._ He thought to himself. Besides, it couldn't be that bad right?

It really wasn't that bad. The week had been going by pretty uneventfully. Customers were more polite than James had expected and his allergies hadn't been _that_ big of an issue (at least, not more than they usually were). John's friends had been coming to help out, since it wasn't really fair to leave James alone to do all the work himself. Lafayette was there helping to put bouquets together in the back the day it happened.

It was Thursday morning and it was really cold. People had been dressed in layers upon layers of clothing, coming in to buy flowers for lovers, for friends, people in hospitals, that sort of thing. That was, until a tall man who bore a striking resemblance to Lafayette came barging into the shop, wearing a huge purple silk coat. The first thing he said when he walked up to the counter was "How do I passive-aggressively say 'fuck you' in flowers?".

"I'm sorry, what?" James was slightly taken aback. _That's something I never expected to hear at this job._

"How do I passive-aggressively say 'fuck you' in a flower? You see there's this really annoying guy at work and..." the man spoke slowly but angrily, and he had a southern accent. It wasn't strong, but you could still tell it was there. He was ranting about this 'really annoying guy from work' that he wanted to buy flowers for...? James was confused. Why would you buy flowers for someone you hate? Aren't flowers a symbol of affection? He shrugged.  
James studied the man's face as he spoke. _Shit, he's kind of hot..._ he thought, blushing slightly. He hoped the guy wouldn't notice.  
"...not to mention that _stupid green coat_ he wears and...oh hey, are you okay? You're getting kind of red." He stopped talking, apparently noticing James' blush. He quickly moved his eyes away from the man's face, trying to focus on the cash register instead.

"I'm allergic to silk." James quickly said. True, but not the reason for his current redness. _Good save._

 _"_ Oh shit! I mean shoot! I'm so sorry, I didn't know! Let me take it off." He quickly said, looking slightly embarrassed. James tried to protest, but the man had already taken his coat off and put it on a chair on the other side of the store. He wondered why someone would wear silk on such a cold day anyway. Actually, who would wear silk anywhere outside the house? Silk was expensive to begin with, and it's not the kind of stuff you make everyday clothing out of, but James knew better than to question a customer on their clothing choices.

"Well, I can go into the back and see what kind of flowers we have." James quickly said, running to the back. He was sure there were flowers that have negative meanings behind them.  
"Hey Laf, this guy wants to passive-aggressively say 'fuck you' in a flower. What do we have?" James asked. Lafayette didn't seem to be the slightest bit confused at this request.  
"Ah, that sounds like something _mon petit lion_ would say...it is not him, yes?" Lafayette asked.  
"Of course not. If Alexander was here he would already have known exactly what flowers to use, how he wanted them arranged, and all that. So what flowers do we have? You know, the guy kind of looks like you..." James said.  
"Hmm." was all they said, before helping James pick out the right flowers.

A few minutes later James walked out with a bouquet of geraniums, orange lilies, and some meadowsweet flowers. "Well, here we have geraniums for stupidity, yellow carnations for disappointment, orange lilies for hatred, and meadowsweet for uselessness. Is that something you think would work? I can attach a card with the meanings or something if you'd like."

"This is perfect! And I'm sure he's smart enough to understand the meanings. Annoying, but smart." The man said, grinning.  
"Alright. And who are these from?" James asked, attaching a smaller card labeled 'From: ______'.  
"Thomas Jefferson." He said, still grinning. _Thomas, huh? He really seems happy. I might have underestimated how much he hates this guy. And his name sounds slightly familiar..._  
Thomas paid for the flowers and quickly ran out, still grinning.

"Well, I hope it goes well...?" James stared at the door as he left, slightly confused.  
"Hey, Laf! Do you know anyone named Thomas Jefferson?" he shouted into the back.  
"What? Was someone named Thomas Jefferson here just now?" Lafayette said, poking their head out from behind the door.  
"Yes, he was the one buying the hate flowers."  
Lafayette just laughed. James was even more confused.   
" _Mon dieu!_ I think I know who he bought those flowers for!" Lafayette choked out in between laughs.  
"What...?"  
"I'm about 100% those flowers were for Alexander!" Lafayette said, laughing even harder.  
"Who bought flowers for Alexander?" A voice asked. James turned around to see John entering the store.  
"You'll never guess!" Lafayette shouted, still laughing. " _Thomas fucking Jefferson_ came in and bought hate flowers for our _petit lion_!" they added. John immediately burst into laughter as well.  
"Oh my god, that's hilarious! Alex is gonna be pissed!" John said. James chuckled, recalling all those nights  Alex would barge into the shop, yelling about some guy from work. Could Thomas be that guy? Alex did wear a green coat, after all. James had never been a fan of it, either.  
Speaking of coats, it seemed that Thomas had left his behind. James went to go pick it up. _I'll just keep this in the back...maybe he'll come and get it tomorrow._

____________

Thomas didn't come back to retrieve his coat the next day. Or the next. By Sunday, James was kind of disappointed that he hadn't gotten to see Thomas again. So when he asked John if he'd like to take another week off and offered to work at the counter for him, John was really surprised.  
"Why? Last week it took me forever to talk you into it!"  
"I...um...changed my mind!"  
"Well I won't be taking the week off, but since you're so eager to do it I suppose we can alternate between who works at the counter. But remember, it's the week of Valentine's Day! It's gonna get really busy!" John reminded him. _Ugh, Valentine's Day._ James thought. He had never been a fan of the holiday. Maybe that was because he spent it alone and it was just another ordinary day to him (but with more annoying straight couples in the street).

__________

It was Sunday morning and James and John had been preparing for the Valentine's Day chaos. They had a bunch of pre-made bouquets set up in the front, and more in the back. It saved a lot of time, knowing most people didn't ask for anything specific and just wanted something pretty. James still had Thomas' coat in the back, and okay, _maybe_ he might have put it on once or twice, despite it being made of silk. Surprisingly, he didn't have any allergic reactions when he wore it. He found that a bit strange, but never bothered to think about it.

It was around 10 AM, and the store had been open for 2 hours. A very busy 2 hours. For the only time that day, the store had actually been empty. At least it was empty, until a familiar man (sans purple coat) walked in.  
"Hey! It's you again!" He said, smiling at James.  
"Welcome back." James said, trying not to make things awkward. "How did it go with the annoying guy from work?"  
"He was really angry about it! It was great!" Thomas said, laughing.  
"So what brought you back here today?"  
"Well, it appears I forgot my coat here last time! I was hoping that you still had it?"  
"Yes, actually, we do. It's in the, uh...lost and found! I'll go get it." James said, once again quickly running to the back. That was partly a lie, seeing as they didn't have a lost and found, but James couldn't admit that. He quickly returned to the counter with the coat and handed it to Thomas.  
"Can I get anything else for you or did you just come back for the coat?" James asked him, half joking.  
"Actually I am in need of a bouquet, but this time I know exactly what flowers I want. I need some lavender roses, gardenias, and tulips, please!" Thomas said, smiling even more than before. James nodded and went to the back to put it together.

"This is a very well thought-out bouquet." John said after James repeated Thomas' request. "Lavender roses specifically mean love at first sight, gardenias are basically a way to tell someone they're lovely, and tulips are a declaration of love. This is pretty well thought-out, even if it is just three flowers. Whoever this guy is giving it to must be really special!" John continued, smiling. _So Thomas is giving this to someone special..._ James thought, disappointed. _He probably has a nice girlfriend that he'll be taking out on a date today._  
He took the bouquet back to the counter and handed it to Thomas, who once again quickly handed James some money and ran out, leaving him confused again.  
"You okay James? You're kind of red." John said, concerned. "Is it another allergy?"  
Must've been Thomas' coat.  
"N-no, I'm fine, don't worry about me."  
John smiled. "I see...was it a cute guy?"  
"What? No, of course not!" James quickly lied, not wanting to be embarrassed after Thomas had just bought a bouquet that he was probably going to ask some girl out with.  
"Alright, if you say so..." John said, smirking.  
"Really, there's no one, I swear!" James said.  
John just laughed, before leaving him alone at the counter again. He wasn't alone for long, because after 10 uneventful minutes Thomas sprinted back into the store, still holding the bouquet.  
"Is something wrong?" James asked, staring at the slightly disheveled man who he noticed was now wearing a purple suit. It was pretty ridiculous, but somehow he still pulled it off and managed to look really good in it. Like, _really_ good. James chose this moment to appreciate just how interesting the cash register was and stared at it instead.  
"Yes, actually. You're not dressed for the occasion." Thomas said, laughing.  
"Excuse me?"  
"James Madison, I know I've only met you once before but I am thoroughly convinced that you are madly in love with me. I just made a reservation at the new fancy restaurant that opened a few blocks away, and I would love it if you attended with me." He said, holding out the bouquet.  
"What? Madly in love? What makes you say that, my dear Thomas?" James said, amused but also taken aback.  
"You see, my silk coat that you were supposedly 'allergic' to is actually not made of silk! It's made of rayon, an artificial and humane alternative! It was actually my backup coat, seeing as my one made of real silk is at the dry cleaners."  Thomas said, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "I don't doubt that you're allergic to silk, but I came to the conclusion that you must have been blushing, and with the help of Lafayette, I put all this together!"  
"So you assumed that I'm madly in love with you because I was blushing? What if I wasn't even blushing? There are other reasons a person's face could go red." James replied, trying to not show his excitement. Despite being really confused, he was really happy that Thomas had asked him on a date. Was it a date? He was going to assume it was.

"Well? Are you coming?" Thomas said, holding out his hand. James turned around to go check with John, but he had been watching the whole time and was giving James a thumbs up. He took Thomas' hand and let him lead the way to the restaurant.

"So, are you admitting that you're madly in love with me?"

"I'm not answering that."

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading this GARBAGE <3


End file.
